10 Canadian Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
3. Shivers (1974)
David Cronenberg’s first foray into horror was also one of his best. The shoestring budget and open casting call led to a wonderfully imaginative film with some very inventive special effects. A notable example being the parasites squirming under a man’s chest being achieved by blowing air in and out of condoms under prosthetic skin.
The story told of a doctor who was attempting to create a parasite that could replace diseased human organs, but the parasites end up turning their hosts into bloodthirsty zombies. This idea has been replicated so many times in movies since, you can see several scenes that clearly influenced future iconic horror scenes.
A shot of a woman hearing a noise in a top-loading washing machine and lifting the lid before the parasite jumps out at her face bears clear similarities to the face-hugger scene in Alien. There is also a segment where a woman is relaxing in the bath, while the parasite swims up between her legs, very reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Cronenberg originally titled his script Orgy of The Blood Parasites, which was changed to The Parasite Murders, then They Came from Within, before the final, less controversial name Shivers.